1. Field
The present disclosure generally relates to firearms. More particularly, the teachings of the present disclosure provide novel and effective firearm fastening assemblies, kits and methods of use for securing a firearm's receiver and/or barrel to another portion of a firearm, such as a stock.
2. Related Art
Since the beginning of the introduction and use of firearms in human history, various designs and means for assembling various components of firearms have been investigated and utilized. Typically, a firearm generally comprises groups of components, each one typically consisting of several additional subcomponents. These groups include the receiver, a barrel attached thereto and the stock. The stock provides a user a convenient element by which the firearm is typically carried and utilized, as known in the art.
Various methods have been utilized to bed or fit receivers and/or barrels into a stock. Stocks are typically provided with a top portion that is provided with an appropriate recess or recesses, shaped and formed to comport with the shape of the receiver and/or barrel fitted thereto. In some more modern and specialized firearms, such as benchrest and target/competition rifles, the barrels are free-floated, that is, the stock is shaped so that the barrel does not come in contact with the stock.
Previous methods for securing the receiver and/or barrels to the stock include clamping mechanisms or bands that clamp, directly or indirectly, the barrel and/or receiver to a stock. Such methods are typical found in early examples of firearms. Another method utilizes studs that depend from the underside of the receiver and/or barrel, the stock being appropriately recessed to accept and secure the studs and thus the receiver and/or barrel, to the stock.
Another very popular and widely utilized method for securing receivers and/or barrels to stocks incorporates threaded channels. Such channels are typically provided in the underside of a receiver and/or barrel, or are provided as part of a member depending therefrom. Screws of appropriate and sufficient length are provided that typically extend through the stock and engage the threaded channels, thus securing the receiver and/or barrel to the stock.
In particular configurations, such screws are provided fore and aft a trigger guard, which secures the trigger guard, and usually a floor plate, to the bottom of the stock while at the same time securing and bringing the receiver and/or barrel down into the stock's recess. In such configurations the floor plate and usually a rear tang of the trigger guard act as compression plates in contact with the bottom portion of the stock, securing the receiver into the stock. This configuration is the typical method by which many modern bolt-action rifles secure their receivers and barrels to stocks. Examples of rifles that incorporate such configurations can be found in the Remington Model 700 series of rifles, for example.
In another prior art method, the receiver is secured to the stock by utilizing a trigger housing group that includes a trigger guard that is hinged and can pivot about a point on a trigger housing group frame. The trigger guard can include a trigger guard extension arm, usually two arms, that includes a latch portion. Here, the receiver includes a projecting member that depends from a bottom portion of the receiver and includes a cutout or recess appropriately configured to comport with and engage the latch portion of the trigger guard extension arm. The receiver is dropped into the stock and the trigger housing group is inserted into the stock via the bottom of the stock, with the trigger guard in a forward position, thus positioning the latch portion of the trigger guard extension arm rearwardly (in the direction of the butt-end of the stock). Once the trigger housing group is so inserted into the stock, the trigger guard is swung rearwardly and up, thus bringing the latch portion of the trigger guard extension arm forward (toward the muzzle portion of the barrel), bringing the latch portion into engagement with the cutout or recess of the projecting member depending from a bottom portion of the receiver. This then results in a compression force that pulls the receiver and the trigger housing group towards each other and resultantly secures the receiver and trigger housing group to the stock. As, known in the art, this method does not require screws or other types of fastening. This is at least one reason that such configurations are found in some military and military-style rifles. An example of a firearm that utilizes such a configuration can be found one of the previous U.S. battle rifles, adopted in the 1950's, widely known as an M14, and such a receiver to stock securing configuration can also be found in the civilian version of this rifle, widely known in the art as an MIA, as produced by Springfield Armory (Geneseo, Ill. USA).
Although the various methods above are widely utilized, they can still permit substantial movement of the receiver in the stock. Use of securing forces associated with the use of screws and associated configurations can be lost due to handling of the rifle and particularly due to recoil generated during the firearms' firing as well as disassembly and re-assembly. Similarly, the configuration utilizing compression between a trigger housing group and the cutout or recess of a projecting member depending from a bottom portion of the receiver can also be subject to shifting and associated loses in accuracy.
Stability and maintenance a “perfect fit” is especially important to those marksmen and shooters that pursue an exacting and tight fit between the receiver and stock. Such shooters can employ a well known method, which utilizes fiberglass compositions, to glass bed their actions to the stock to achieve that “perfect fit”. There is an interesting irony to glass bedding in that once the expense and trouble associated with such bedding jobs, executed to increase accuracy of a particular firearm, have been overcome, the gained stability and accuracy of the firearm is eventually diminished over time. This is because in addition to the effects of recoil on the bedding (e.g., upward and rearward thrusting, torque and vibration forces exerted on the components of the firearm), the gained effect is further diminished by the servicing of the now glass-bedded rifle. Removing and reinstalling the action for cleaning/service aggravates the bedding with every disassembly-re-assembly cycle, thus hastening the necessity for a bedding touch-up or complete re-bedding. In some circumstances and after a sufficient number of disassembly-re-assembly cycles, wear on the factory latches of a trigger housing group (e.g. like the ones utilized in M1A/M14-type rifles) the can proceed to a point for which the only remedy is replacement of the whole of the trigger group.